Inner Glow
by Broken Angel01
Summary: Nightmares only last for so long before they're swallowed by the light.


Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: My first oneshot! This fic is dedicated to all the Takari fans out there who still believe this couple has some spark left in them. Now, the good news is you don't have to read my fic 'Following the Footsteps of Destiny' to fully enjoy this fic. It''ll make sense to everyone, and for FTFOD fans, well... I think you'll get the hint. Anyways, I have an idea for a Willis/T.K. fic (probably a friendship one with the idea I have so far) but again I'm finishing MBFG first and taking another stab at my Harry Potter fic. In the meantime, please enjoy! I'll only have one more update this week, and it's for FTFOD. Look around Thursday. Thanks!

Inner Glow

"Mommy?"

Kari Takaishi slowly opened her eyes and glanced curiously around the bedroom. She managed to pull herself into a sitting position, and almost immediately she spotted a dark shape standing beside the bed. A small hand touched her cheek, and she smiled softly at her six year old son, Masato Takaishi.

"What's wrong, Matty? Did you have a nightmare?" she asked, bending over and kissing him lightly on the nose.

Matty quickly scrambled onto the bed and threw himself into her arms. He was wearing light blue pyjamas, and his hair was a tangled mess. He had obviously been rolling around in his sleep, and she had a feeling he would not close his eyes again until his fears had been put to rest.

"It was really bad, Mommy. I wanted to tell Mickey about it, but he was asleep, and I didn't want to wake him up. He always knows how to make me feel better, but he can't help me if he's not awake!"

Kari gazed into her son's wide, frightened eyes and rested her cheek against his golden hair. "It's okay, sweetheart. Why don't you tell me all about it."

"My nightmares don't seem so bad when Mickey's there to face them with me," Matty mumbled into her shoulder, his small arms circling around her neck.

Kari gently rubbed his back and gave him a reassuring hug. "I know, honey. Mickey feels the same way about you."

"Really?" Matty asked, his amber eyes sparkling with sudden happiness.

Kari raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly. "Yes, sweetie, don't you know that by now?"

"Mickey's really shy. It takes him a long time to say anything," Matty said solemnly. "It's okay, though. He always tells me eventually, and I don't mind waiting. He understands me better than anyone, Mommy. I bet he's the best brother in the whole world."

Kari laughed and cuddled her son tightly against her chest. "Maybe not. I think it's a tie. You are just as good of a brother as he is."

Matty's smile faded, and he let out a deep sigh. "I'm scared, Mommy."

"Do you want me to wake up Daddy? That way you can tell both of us about your nightmare."

Matty chewed on his lower lip and finally nodded. "Do you think Daddy will be able to help me, too?"

"Well, we're both going to try. T.K., honey, wake up. Your son needs you."

Kari poked her husband in the ribs and gave him a gentle push. T.K.'s eyes fluttered open, and he blinked at her in confusion. "Kari, what's wrong? Is it the baby?"

Kari gave her husband a fond smile and quickly shook her head. She was currently pregnant with their third child, and T.K. had a tendency to worry about her and the baby a lot. He had acted the same way when she had been pregnant with the twins, only that time he had worried twice as much.

"No, honey. The baby's fine. It's Matty."

"Matty?" T.K. quickly sat up and gazed anxiously at their son. "Matty, what are you doing out of bed this late at night?"

"I had a bad dream," Matty whimpered, his small body trembling with fear.

T.K. yawned loudly and gently pulled Matty into his lap. "What was your nightmare about? Did it have monsters in it?"

Matty's forehead wrinkled into a frown, and he rested his flushed cheek against his dad's chest. "No, Daddy, I haven't been afraid of monsters since I was three! Mickey and I scared them out of the closet a long time ago, and the one under Mickey's bed went to live in the attic. We've heard him creaking around up there above our room, you know."

"Right, the monster in the attic," T.K. replied, looking amused.

"Were there ghosts in your nightmare?" Kari asked, hiding a smile. She leaned against T.K.'s side and felt her husband's arm go around her shoulders.

Matty clung tightly to her hand and slowly shook his head.

"Um...no...I don't remember any ghosts."

"Then why are you so frightened?"

"I was all alone," Matty whispered, glancing nervously around the room.

Kari felt a sudden stab of fear in her heart, and she gave her son's hand a comforting squeeze. "What do you mean?"

_This doesn't sound like a normal nightmare to me._

Matty's eyes filled with tears, and he buried his face against T.K.'s white shirt. "It was really dark in my dream, and I could hear a strange sound coming from somewhere behind me. It sounded like wings, but I couldn't see anything because of the darkness. Do you think maybe it could have been a monster or a ghost after all?"

Kari gazed into her husband's bright blue eyes and frowned when she realized T.K. looked extremely uneasy about something.

_Could he possibly be thinking the same thing I'm thinking?_

"Daddy-"

"I don't know, Matty," T.K. said quietly, giving his son a warm, comforting hug. "What do you think it was?"

Matty pulled the blankets up to his chin and shrugged. "I'm not sure. It felt...bad, and it really scared me. I wanted to run away from it, but I couldn't because I didn't even know where I was. How can I run away from a ghost if I'm not sure which direction I'm supposed to be running in?"

"You're a smart boy, Matty," T.K. murmured, kissing the top of his son's golden head.

Kari hesitated and rested her cheek against her husband's shoulder. "Honey, you don't think-"

"Not now," T.K. interrupted, avoiding Matty's eyes and giving her a meaningful look. "I think Matty's frightened enough already."

Matty glanced curiously at them and wrinkled his nose. "I'm not frightened anymore. Um..well...maybe just a little bit."

"Matty?"

Kari jumped in surprise and quickly turned towards the door. Her eyes came to rest on a small, dark figure standing just inside the room, and she let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Did we wake you up?"

Her other six year old son, Makiya Takaishi, wiggled his toes on the blue carpet and shook his head. "No. I woke up on my own, and I got really scared when I noticed Matty wasn't in his bed. I thought something bad might have happened to him."

Kari sent her slightly older son an affectionate smile and motioned him towards the bed. "Don't worry, honey. Matty's just fine. Why don't you come sit with us and we'll tell you what's going on."

Mickey quickly crawled onto the bed, and Kari gently wrapped her arms around his small, warm body.

"Mickey, I had a nightmare, and now I'm scared to go back to sleep!" Matty wailed, scrambling forward and hiding his face against his twin's shoulder.

Mickey let out a gasp, and his amber eyes grew wide with horror. "Oh, Matty, was it really bad?"

Matty nodded vigorously, and Mickey gave the younger twin a soothing pat on the back. "Why didn't you wake me up and tell me all about it?"

"I didn't want to bug you," Matty mumbled, his small cheeks turning bright pink.

Mickey smiled shyly at his brother and wrapped his arms around the younger twin's shoulders. "You know you can tell me anything, Matty. I'll always listen, and I'll always be here if you need me. I don't care if I am asleep."

Matty bit his lip and squeezed his twin as tightly as he could. "Thanks, Mickey. I'll do the same for you, okay? I really did want to tell you, but I thought you could use some sleep. Just because I can't sleep doesn't mean you have to suffer, too."

"Matty, when you're scared, it makes me scared," Mickey whispered, tugging nervously on his green pyjamas. "Remember the monsters in the closet?"

Matty smiled happily at his twin and pulled Mickey under the blankets. "Yeah, they never stood a chance against us!"

"What was your dream about?" Mickey asked curiously, snuggling against his brother's side.

"It was dark and scary, and there was something chasing me, but don't worry, Mickey. I feel a lot better now that you're here. I hated being alone in my nightmare. That was the scariest part of all."

"Don't worry, Matty. I'll never let anything bad happen to you," Mickey said sleepily, resting his cheek against his brother's shoulder. "I know! I'll be your night light! You won't have to be alone in the dark when I'm around. I'll always be here by your side, and I'll never let anyone, monsters included, make you feel bad."

"You're a better night light than the one plugged into the wall in our room," Matty said softly. "Can I be your night light, too?"

Mickey's eyes fluttered closed, and he nodded. "You've always been my night light, Matty. I'm never scared when you're around. We'll keep each other safe from the monsters."

"And ghosts," Matty added.

"And everything else."

Kari felt a strong surge of affection for her identical twin boys, and she softly kissed their foreheads. "I think you two had better get to bed now."

"Mommy's right. You guys have school tomorrow. You don't want to be tired all day, do you?" T.K. said sleepily, lying back down and rolling over onto his stomach. He smiled at the twins with affection and gently kissed their cheeks.

Matty hesitated and dived back under the covers again. "Can we stay here with you guys?"

"Please?" Mickey mumbled, trying in vain to keep his eyes open.

"Alright, but only if the two of you promise me you'll get some sleep," T.K. mumbled, resting his cheek against the top of Matty's golden head.

Matty nodded and cuddled against his twin's side. "I'm going to sleep right now. I'm not afraid of closing my eyes anymore because Mickey's here with me. He'll help me keep all the bad things away."

"Night, Matty. We'll fall asleep together, okay? Let's dream about ice cream. Ice cream always makes you happy," Mickey yawned.

"I like ice cream!" The younger twin wrapped his arms around Mickey and pressed his cheek against his brother's shoulder. "You won't go anywhere, will you?"

Mickey quickly shook his head and squeezed Matty's small hand. "No, I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Okay. Night, Mickey."

"Good night, Matty. Have a good sleep."

Kari laid back down in the bed, and to her surprise, Mickey and Matty did fall asleep almost simultaneously.

She gently stroked Mickey's golden hair and turned slowly to look at T.K. "Honey, do you think Matty's dream has anything to do with us?"

T.K. ran a hand through his short, blond hair, and after several moments he finally shook his head. "No, I don't think so. It was just a dream, Kari. Everything will be okay. You'll see."

Kari leaned over Mickey and Matty and softly kissed her husband's lips. T.K. smiled, without opening his eyes, and she kissed him again. "Good night, T.K. I love you."

"I love you, too," T.K. murmured, returning the kiss.

Kari watched him fall asleep with his arms around Mickey and Matty, and a fond smile slipped across her face. She could still feel the warmth of his kiss on her lips, and it gave her strength. T.K. was right. Matty's dream was just a dream and nothing more. She glanced around the room and gave the darkness around her a defiant look. She had three night lights in her life, and she would make sure they continued to shine no matter how many outlets and batteries she had to supply.

"Soon I'll have four night lights," she whispered, gently patting her stomach. She knew the five of them would help each other through the darkness and find a way to keep the shadows at bay. A night light was more than just a candle or a flashlight. It was a bright glow burning just behind a frosty shade, and it kept more than just the darkness away. To her it was a symbol of the light inside, and it would continue to shine no matter how often the darkness tried to hide it.

She gazed quietly at her twin boys for a moment and smiled. Mickey and Matty were curled up together, and Mickey's face was buried in Matty's golden hair. The two of them looked peaceful, and she could have sworn they were breathing in sync.

"Sweet dreams, my little angels," she whispered, kissing them softly on the tops of their heads.

She rested her forehead against T.K.'s cheek and finally closed her eyes. It did not matter what Matty's dream had been about. She knew her sons would always protect each other, and their new sibling, and that was the only thing she cared about. She would try her hardest to be the best parent she could be, and she knew T.K. would do the same, but if there was ever a time when they could not be there because of some unexpected twist of fate, she knew her kids would do everything they could to keep each other safe.

A night light did not cast a strong glow, but as long as it was still burning, there was always hope.

The End


End file.
